Abstract
Aim: In the last decade Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism has been identified as one of the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Though more than 11% population of Malaysia are suffering from T2DM, there is inadequate data on the correlation between the APOE gene polymorphism and pathogenesis of diabetes among Malaysians. Hence, in this study we aimed to find out the association between the frequencies of APOE allele and fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentration among subjects with T2DM.
 Methods: A total of 102 subjects were recruited into two distinct groups, 51 in diabetes (cases) and 51 in non-diabetes (control) group. Their fasting blood sample was tested for FBG, while APOE genotyping was carried out using restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Predictive Analytics Software (PASW) statistics, version 18.0, was used for statistical analyses.
 Results: There was no association between APOE alleles and T2DM; odd ratios for the e2, e3 and e4 alleles were 1.51 (95%CI: 0.615-3.706), 0.77 (95%CI: 0.431-1.375) and 1.12 (95%CI: 0.584-2.131) respectively. The highest mean FBG was found in subjects with e2 alleles, followed by e4 and e3 alleles in both cases and control groups. Both e2 and e4 alleles were significantly linked to higher mean FBG (p=0.03 and 0.04 for the respectively) compared to e3 allele in diabetes group.
 Conclusions: Although the APOE gene was not found to be associated with T2DM, it may influence glycemic status among subjects.
Highlights
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that affects 9% of adults all around the world 1
Their fasting blood sample was tested for fasting blood glucose (FBG), while Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping was carried out using restriction fragment length polymorphism technique
Five out of six APOE genotypes were identified in the study samples
Summary
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that affects 9% of adults all around the world 1. It is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among adults. While World Health Organization (WHO), in the ‘Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2014’, reported that the prevalence of diabetes among Malaysian adults is 11.1%, which is 1.2 times higher than the global prevalence 1. The monogenic defects cause type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) by affecting the production of insulin from beta cells of pancreas, and it contributes to 1-5% cases of all diabetes 3. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that contributes 90-95% of all diabetes, is a chronic multifactorial disease of adulthood [3,4]. T2DM results from a complex interactions between multiple genetic and environmental factors, where pre-existing susceptible genes are being triggered by nongenetic environmental factors, such as consumption of junk food, decreased opportunity and motivation for physical activity, and awareness among the genetically susceptible individuals [5,6]
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